Research methodology MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Research methodology - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is - All of the above

Key Points

• Applied research
  • A form of research that focuses on solving specific, real-world problems using empirical methods.
  • All the listed options fall within the scope of applied research:
    • Clinical Research – conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of medical treatments and interventions on patient outcomes.
    • Case Studies – used in education, psychology, and business to analyze real-life scenarios and apply theoretical knowledge to practical problems.
    • Research and Development (R&D) – focuses on the creation or improvement of products, processes, and services in industry and technology.

Additional Information

• Clinical Research
  • Includes trials and observational studies that test the safety and efficacy of new drugs, medical devices, and procedures.
  • Regulated by ethics committees and often part of applied health research.
• Case Studies
  • Provide context-specific insights and are valuable in evaluating interventions and decision-making processes.
  • Widely used in applied social sciences, business studies, and education.
• Research and Development (R&D)
  • Plays a central role in innovation and technology.
  • Used in industries like pharmaceuticals, automotive, IT, and defense to develop market-ready products.
  • Governments often fund R&D for national growth and applied solutions to public needs.

The correct answer is - Religious institutions

Key Points

• Applied research is typically conducted in the following domains:
  • Industry: To improve production processes, develop new products, or enhance efficiency.
  • Government departments: For policy formulation, improving public services, or tackling societal issues.
  • Military: For technological advancements, strategic planning, and defense mechanisms.
• Religious institutions are not common domains for applied research as their focus is often on spiritual, doctrinal, or ceremonial activities rather than practical problem-solving using scientific methods.

Additional Information

• Characteristics of Applied Research
  • Focuses on specific and practical objectives.
  • Results are often directly applied to improve systems, products, or processes.
  • Methods are systematic and scientific, ensuring reliability and validity of results.
• Examples of Applied Research Domains
  • Healthcare: Developing vaccines or improving patient care practices.
  • Education: Creating new teaching methods or materials.
  • Environmental Science: Finding solutions for pollution control or resource conservation.
• Pure Research vs. Applied Research
  • Pure research aims to expand theoretical understanding without immediate practical application.
  • Applied research seeks to address specific, practical challenges and often builds on findings from pure research.

The correct answer is - It is aimed at solving practical problems

Key Points

• Applied Research
  • Conducted to solve real-world, practical problems in various domains like business, industry, military, government, and libraries.
  • Focuses on the immediate application of research findings to improve processes, solve issues, or implement innovations.
  • Unlike pure research, it is not done for expanding theoretical knowledge alone but to bring direct and tangible benefits.
• Examples of applied research include:
  • Designing library systems for reminders and record-keeping
  • Diagnosing the underuse of a book collection
  • Solving space constraints in libraries

Additional Information

• Difference Between Pure and Applied Research
  • The boundary is often blurred and temporary.
  • Pure research focuses on theory and knowledge for its own sake, whereas applied research is driven by the need for practical application.
  • Over time, pure research can lead to applied outcomes, e.g.:
    • Discovery of X-rays → medical imaging
    • Invention of the telephone → telecommunications industry
• Research and Development (R&D)
  • A sub-type of applied research commonly used in industry and technology.
  • Focuses on creating new products or improving existing ones.
• Theoretical Knowledge and Practice
  • They influence each other continuously—theory may arise from practice and vice versa.
  • As per Professor Pauline Atherton, theoretical principles like the Five Laws of Library Science can be directly applied to organize knowledge and services.

The correct answer is - Holding an intervening variable constant

Key Points

• Holding an intervening variable constant
  • By selecting only female participants, the researcher removes gender as a variable that could affect the outcome.
  • This ensures that any observed effect is not due to differences between genders, thereby increasing internal validity.
  • It is a method of experimental control used to neutralize the effect of a known confounding or intervening variable.

Additional Information

• Random selection
  • Refers to randomly choosing participants from a larger population to form a sample.
  • It enhances external validity or generalizability, not control of variables.
• Statistical control
  • Involves using statistical methods like ANCOVA or regression analysis to adjust for the effects of confounding variables.
  • It is applied during data analysis, not during the selection or design phase.
• Counterbalancing
  • A technique used in within-subjects designs to control for the order effects of repeated measures.
  • It ensures that all possible orders of conditions are represented to avoid sequence bias.

The correct answer is - I-Q, II-R, III-P

Key Points

• I. Random assignment → Q. Assigning participants to groups so each has an equal chance
  • This method eliminates selection bias by giving all participants an equal probability of being placed in any group.
  • Ensures that group differences are not systematic and supports internal validity.
• II. Matching subjects → R. Pairing based on similar characteristics before assignment
  • Participants are paired based on a variable (e.g., age, gender, intelligence), then randomly assigned from each pair.
  • This controls for known confounding variables to make groups more equivalent.
• III. Holding variable constant → P. Keeping the influencing factor constant
  • This means ensuring that a potential confound (e.g., temperature, lighting) is the same across all experimental conditions.
  • It improves experimental control and reduces variability caused by external factors.

Additional Information

• Experimental control methods
  • Random Assignment helps balance unknown factors across groups.
  • Matching is used when random assignment alone might not eliminate certain biases.
  • Holding variables constant is particularly useful in laboratory settings where environment-related variables can be controlled.
• Threats to internal validity
  • If control methods are weak, factors such as history, maturation, testing, instrumentation may interfere with outcome interpretation.
  • Proper use of assignment and control techniques enhances the causal inference in experimental research.

Research is a systematic inquiry towards understanding a complex social phenomenon or a process. They are broadly categorized into qualitative and quantitative research. Based on the research problem, the selection of research methods by the researcher may vary.
Key Points

Positivistic Research Paradigm:

A research paradigm is a research model or a perceptual orientation for conducting research that has been verified by the research community.

• Emphasizes quantitative analysis over qualitative analysis
• Relies heavily on experimentation
• Subscribes to pre-existing categories
• Hypotheses are put forward about the causal relation between phenomena
• Empirical evidence is gathered and analysed that explains the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable
• Employs a deductive approach to analyse data
• Collects numerical data

Important Points

Features of Qualitative Research:

• The objective is to explore a phenomenon to gain understanding by diving deeper into the problem
• Used qualitative methods of data collection such as interviews, focus groups, observation, etc.
• The sample size is kept small
• Believes in interpretivism paradigm and disregards the positivist assumptions and statistical data analysis
• Inductive reasoning is employe where things are observed, a pattern is developed and then the theory is formed
• The conclusions are descriptive rather than predictive.

Hence, it is clear from the given points that qualitative research avoids positivist assumptions and data analysis.

Research methodology refers to the techniques used to find and analyze information for a study, ensuring that the results are valid and reliable and that they address the research objective. It is the theoretical paradigm for data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

Important PointsResearch Methodology:

• Research methodology is a way of explaining how a researcher intends to carry out their research.
• It's a logical, systematic plan to resolve a research problem.
• A methodology details a researcher's approach to the research to ensure reliable, valid results that address their aims and objectives.
• It encompasses what data they're going to collect and where from, as well as how it's being collected and analyzed.

​​Therefore, the term "research methodology" refers to the methods used in data collection and analysis.

Additional Information

For example, steps involved in research methodology by the researcher.

• What data to collect (and what data to ignore)
• Who to collect it from (in research, this is called “sampling design”)
• How to collect it (this is called “data collection methods”)
• How to analyze it (this is called “data analysis methods”)

the most appropriate answer is (B), (C), (D) only.

Important Points

Case study method:

• The case study method is known for its particularistic approach, meaning it focuses on a specific case or situation.
• It is also descriptive in nature, providing detailed information about the case.
• The case study method is also considered to be inductive, as it involves drawing conclusions based on observations and evidence.

Case study:

• A case in a case study research could be an individual, organization, or institution.
• It is concerned with the in-depth study of a singular case (one person) from various possible angles for the sake of promoting his/her adjustment
• It is a qualitative research method that involves investigating a contemporary research problem within its real-life context by making use of multiple sources of data.
• It seeks to explore an area regarding which there is little understanding or prior knowledge.
• The data sources in a case study include data regarding the family and educational background and the primary data collection methods employed are observation and conducting interviews.     ​

Key Points

The case study method in research is a qualitative approach that involves the in-depth examination of a specific case or situation. It is used to gain a deeper understanding of a particular phenomenon. Some key points about the case study method include:

• Particularistic: The case study method focuses on a specific case or situation, rather than trying to generalize to a larger population.

• Descriptive: The case study provides a detailed description of the case, including relevant background information, context, and relevant data.

• Inductive: The case study method is inductive in nature, meaning that it involves drawing conclusions based on observations and evidence.

• Flexible: The case study method is flexible, allowing the researcher to gather a wide range of data, including interviews, observations, and documents.

• Multiple sources of evidence: The case study method often involves collecting data from multiple sources, including the subjects of the study, witnesses, and relevant documents.

• Interpretive: The case study method requires an interpretive approach, as the researcher must analyze and interpret the data collected.

Qualitative research is research using methods such as participant observation or case studies that result in a narrative, descriptive account of a setting or practice.

Important Points

• Grounded theory is a systematic methodology that has been largely applied to qualitative research conducted by social scientists.
• The methodology involves the construction of hypotheses and theories through the collecting and analysis of data.
• The grounded theory involves the application of inductive reasoning.
• The methodology contrasts with the hypothetico-deductive model used in traditional scientific research.
• A study based on grounded theory is likely, to begin with, a question, or even just with the collection of qualitative data.
• As researchers review the data collected, ideas or concepts become apparent to the researchers. These ideas/concepts are said to "emerge" from the data.

Hence Grounded theory research is an example of qualitative research.

Additional Information

• Experimental research is a study that strictly adheres to a scientific research design.
  • ​It includes a hypothesis, a variable that can be manipulated by the researcher, and variables that can be measured, calculated, and compared.
• Ex post facto study or after-the-fact research is a category of research design in which the investigation starts after the fact has occurred without interference from the researcher.
• A Descriptive Survey Research is an approach of Descriptive Research that blends quantitative and qualitative data to provide the researcher with relevant and accurate information.

An experimental method of research is a type of study in which the researcher speculates on the possible reasons for a previously observed result.

Key Points

Experimental research:

• The experimental method involves manipulating one variable to determine if changes in one variable cause changes in another variable.
• This method relies on controlled methods, random assignment, and the manipulation of variables to test a hypothesis.
• The experimental method under which the researcher can directly modify the independent variable(s) (that is, the cause) in an experimental study to see how it affects the dependent variable (that is, the effect).

Therefore, Experimental method research methods, the process of hypothesis testing optimally safeguards the role of extraneous variables. 

Additional Information

• Both experimental and ex-post facto research attempt to study links between existent variables and their conclusions are logically as well as empirically valid and accurate, but there is various difference between them.
• Ex post facto research is undertaken when a researcher wishes to investigate the cause of an event that has already occurred as an outcome of the cause.
• The phrase historical method refers to a set of strategies and rules used by historians in their investigation and writing of past histories.
• Descriptive Survey Research is a type of descriptive research that combines quantitative and qualitative data to give you reliable and relevant facts. 

A research design is a framework for the methods and approaches. 

Key Points

• Experimental research is a study that is based on scientific research design.
• The characteristic features of Experimental research are the following: 
  • A purpose statement is a declarative statement that highlights the major goal or goals of a research study.
  • The goal of a study or research endeavor is to answer research questions on the topic.
  • A hypothesis is a statement that expresses expectations for the results of research.
  • After developing a hypothesis then collect numeric data. 
• In short, developing clear, restricted, measurable, and observable purpose statements, research questions and hypotheses are characteristic features of experimental research.
• Experimental research is a study that uses two sets of variables and is conducted in a scientific manner.

Thus, creating purpose statements, research questions, and hypotheses that are narrow and measurable would mark the characteristic features of Experimental research.

Additional Information

• Grounded theory research: Grounded theory is a systematic approach to qualitative research where theories are generated through the collecting and analysis of data.
• Ethnographic research:   Ethnography is a qualitative data collection method and the researcher work in the field where they collect data through observations and interviews. 
• Narrative research:  It was defined as collecting and analyzing the accounts of respondents when they describe experiences and further interpret them. 

Key Points

• In grounded theory, coding is a process of analyzing qualitative data to identify patterns and relationships.
• The goal of coding is to develop a theoretical understanding of the phenomenon being studied.
• Theoretical saturation is the point at which no new insights are being generated from the data.
• This means that the researcher has reached a point where they have a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon and can no longer generate new codes.
• Once theoretical saturation has been reached, the researcher can stop coding and move on to the next stage of grounded theory, which is the development of a theoretical model.

The other options are incorrect.

• Option 1 is incorrect because grounded theory is an inductive approach to research, which means that the researcher does not make any prior assumptions about the phenomenon being studied.
• Option 2 is incorrect because grounded theory uses a variety of coding methods, including open coding, selective coding, and axial coding.
• Option 3 is incorrect because grounded theory is an inductive approach to research, which means that the researcher does not adopt a deductive stance.

Therefore, the answer is 4) To stop when theoretical saturation has been reached.

The correct answer is F-test.
Important Points

F-test:

• The F-test is commonly used in the context of analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis.
• It is used to compare the variances or means of multiple groups simultaneously.
• ANOVA assesses whether there are significant differences among the means of three or more groups, while the F-test in regression analysis is used to determine if a set of independent variables has a statistically significant effect on the dependent variable.
• The F-test calculates an F-statistic, which is compared to critical values to determine statistical significance.

When researchers use designs that involve multiple groups, such as in analysis of variance (ANOVA) or regression analysis, the most commonly employed test is the F-test.

• The F-test is used to compare the variances or means of multiple groups simultaneously.
• It helps determine whether there are significant differences among the means of the groups being compared.

The Z-test is commonly used when comparing a sample mean to a known population mean, assuming the population standard deviation is known.

The t-test for the difference of means is used when comparing the means of two independent groups. The paired t-test is used when comparing the means of two related groups (e.g., before and after measurements of the same individuals).

Therefore, in the context of designs involving multiple groups, the F-test is the most commonly employed test.